Academic forces unite to explore potential impact of UAVs

An aviation specialist has announced it is collaborating with a raft of academic bodies to introduce a post-graduate course on the topic of ‘Drones for Heritage Communication and Audience Development’.

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology at University College London, University of Oxford and University of Brighton, in collaboration with Skypower and Sussex Past, are seeking applications for a fully-funded studentship.

This PhD project critically explores how drone technology could inform an audience development framework for heritage institutions, especially around diversification of audiences and innovative ways of engaging with heritage culture.

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It asks about the potential socio-economic benefits for the heritage sector of drawing on commercial and civic models around drone technologies.

The project also considers what role the heritage sector could play between the legal context, commercial exploitation and end-user engagement around drone technology. The methodology will include desk-based research and expert interviews, leading to a preliminary model.

The drone technology experimentation and field work phase will test this model in partnership with the heritage/industry partners. The audience/user perspective will be captured through observations and interviews.

The analysis will map out opportunities, barriers and potential partnership models for innovation and collaboration between the drone culture industry and the heritage sector.